Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

Neil Armstrong’s death on August 25th, 2012 has affected me more than I thought it would. He is, without a doubt, an American hero, but heroes die everyday. The difference with Armstrong is he wasn’t just a hero, he was a living mythological, enigmatic figure who’s exploits are the stuff of legend. Many to this day still have trouble accepting his achievements as reality. “Walking on the moon” was literally a cliche for achieving the impossible….until Neil.

UPDATE after the jump:
NASA released a nice little tribute video for Neil. Honestly, it has some awkward soundbites, especially from Charlie Bolden, but it’s still nice hearing from some unusual characters like engineers and managers. There’s a lot of God talk which was unexpected in a NASA video. But as usual, Gene Cernan steals the show with his eloquence: